


The Once and Future King

by MunkUnk



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Genosha AU, M/M, Other, more to come later - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-09-20
Updated: 2012-10-20
Packaged: 2017-11-14 16:53:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/517458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MunkUnk/pseuds/MunkUnk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The King is dead; long live the King,<br/>all remember he, who stood proud,<br/>firm in his beliefs<br/>high above all men;<br/>all hail he,<br/>the Master of Magnetism- Magneto.</p><p>due to some unfortunate circumstances (IRL) “The Once and Future King” is on hiatus until i have some time to write again.<br/>sorry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

The city is beautiful (even for the imposing citadel hovering over it), and under different circumstances Charles might be glad to be here. But as it is he is more than a little angry; all things considered he thinks he is behaving quite well (and if it weren't for that damnable senator Kelly – President, soon – Charles would be feeling just fine in _his mansion_ ) , after all he could be doing what Raven is doing (scowling, with her arms folded over her chest, her eyes anywhere but him – there was nothing he could have done to change this; nothing he could have done to help this situation; why couldn't she understand that? – and making someone else carry his bag because he was too mad to do so; he could easily do that). But Charles isn't prone to fits. And besides that, he is simply grateful to have been offered sanctuary here on Genosha; it had certainly been generous of King Magneto (Charles tried not to cringe; he couldn't believe that Magneto was _king_ it was so farfetched to think that there was a monarchy here, in the modern world (like home? His mind provided, but he ignored it); odd.) to offer all of the recently exiled mutants from the States, and most of Europe, somewhere to come.

Well; more accurately, somewhere to call home.

Moving through the streets with their escort (they're going to see the _King_ ; but Charles has no idea where that could possibly be– is it tacky, and childish that when he had heard the words _King Magneto_ he had imagined an ornate throne, with a robed man; nestled in a throne room, of a spacious castle?) Charles can't help but be amazed by the city; the streets are cobbled (so old fashioned), there are building made from _metal_ of all things (isn't that a bit dangerous in a storm?). Stone abodes that look inviting, and even a _pub_ (oh he would love to see if they have a nice beer). There's a bazar; bustling with people – _mutants_ – and Charles is absolutely stunned to see mutants with _physical_ mutations out in the street, running stalls; talking and laughing.

Living.

And, oh, it looks so tempting; he would so like to stop and slip into the crowd – he can hear a cacophony of thoughts; spilling out freely (down at his side Jean whimpers, and clutches Logan's arm), and he is absolutely stunned to find that not a single person here is resentful; they are happy; they are living, they are loving; they are free – and wander between the stalls, looking at the wares that are on display; talking to the mutants. He wants to live. But he isn't free of his burdens yet. He needs to see the king, seek shelter; and then work. He doesn't even care what he does; he just knows that he needs to find work soon. He promised Raven, and all of these that walk down the cobblestone path to meet the king, that he would take care of them. And he intends to keep that promise; this is just a mild setback, that's all. A mild set back and it can, and will be, overcome.

Once they get to the end of the street and stop Charles frowns, opens his mouth to speak but before he can he hears a strange, strange humming overhead, and looks up to see a metal platform lowering; the escort ushers them onto the platform and tells them that someone will meet them at the top. The elevator moves slowly, and Charles looks at the lines that are drawing it up and wonders after the weight capacity (and he mentally laments the loss of his Blackbird), but before he can turn to Hank and ask him what he thinks about it (it's better to talk about anything, than it is to remain silent this way) the elevator is slowing, and Charles watches as the view of the sky vanishes, and they're at a ramp.

Picking up their bags they trey up the metal ramp, and meet a woman at the top of the stairs; she's tall and blond and beautiful; and dressed so, so inappropriately—in his periphery he sees Alex cover Scotts eyes (knows Jean is hiding her face against Logan's leg; and Rogue and Ororo are blushing and looking at the floor; Sean is probably staring, and Alex is avoiding looking), Charles doesn't break eye contact. When she smiles it leaves something to be desired; his does not. She leads them through the maze of a citadel, and he _isn't_ surprised to be led into an actual throne room.

The throne is empty; and the woman – Emma, she had introduced herself to Logan; who had _smiled at her_ , and Charles wanted to chuckle, but he pretended not to notice – leaves them there to wait for the king. Charles politely asks Ororo to take the children younger than her to stand by the door. The waiting game has never been something he was particularly good at, but Charles slips his hands into his pockets and does his best not to turn his eyes to the doors, and wonder which one the king will emerge from; it isn't like he would be being… rude by being expectant, is it?

Would he be terribly offensive for being impatient with the king who so graciously offered them a place to live, a new home, safety; and protection? It is easily safe to assume that it _would_ be offensive. So Charles keeps his eyes on the floor, and absolutely does not feel annoyed – he knows, too, that anything he is feeling isn't an accurate depiction of his feelings; not when he is so upset over all of this; over being forced out of his home, and he will dearly miss it - at being made to wait out here while the king was off doing whatever.

Of course when the king finally does enter the room, he does not enter by door; the window opens, and they all look to see him _flying in_ , and hovering across the floor the sit upon the throne. He has an odd outfit, Charles thinks; deep, deep purple boots (almost black) and trousers, a red shirt, and the same shade of deep purple bracers on his wrists; a cape that is lined red, but is purple; and a… purple helmet.

There's something really, really odd about this (maybe it's that he's so damnably _hot_ ).

"My apologies, I hope I haven't kept you long." Magneto drawled; there was something completely at ease about him, as if he didn't feel at all out of place in a throne, with people standing before him – were they supposed to bow? Why hadn't he _asked_? – but then, Charles supposed he probably was.

To his right Logan grunted, and Charles just smiled – to his left he could see Raven glowering at him; he caught small whispers of _you would be smiling_ coming from her mind which he dutifully ignored, and pretended not to understand – "Not at all." The tone was sincere enough; but the statement didn't feel that way, and clearly the king heard something in his tone he hadn't liked because he scowled at Charles,

"You are Charles Xavier." Magneto said and Charles frowned; was it normal that the king know the names of all of those that came before him? (On that note, Charles noticed that he couldn't get a reading off of the man; at all. It was almost as if he… was being blocked, and he hadn't thought that was possible. He wishes that wasn't possible)

"I am." Charles agreed furrowing his brow, just barely registering the surprise that was coming off of Raven and Logan, and Hank (Alex, Angel, Darwin and Sean had moved back with Ororo, and they were more confused than surprised), his own was overwhelming theirs – especially when the king gave him an appreciative look – so that he didn't even think to reach out and soothe their minds,

"It's a pleasure" Magneto said as he shifted and stood from his throne, and moved down toward them – Logan shifted uncomfortably beside him, though he didn't know why; Raven took a slight step back before realizing herself, and standing firmly beside him – "to finally meet you, Mister Xavier" Magneto paused in front of him and raised a hand, Charles hesitated for only a second before raising his hand, and clasping Mangeto's, and offering a smile, "I've been following your political movements for quite some time. You have done a great many things for mutantkind, and for that I thank you." Charles couldn't help the swell of pride that came with hearing that,

"I, well… thank you."

"I was pleased when you accepted my invitation" Raven arched a brow at that, and Charles swallowed thickly at her vicious thought of _you always get everything you want_ "though I must admit, I did have some… ulterior motives for my request." Charles' own brows shot up at that; what was this?

"You… did?" slowly Charles drew his hand away; confused,

"I did." Magneto agreed, and turned away making his way back to the throne, "I am building a country here, Xavier" that was redundant, "there are certain things that all great countries need to thrive. And first and foremost is an exceptional educational system." Raven actually rolled her eyes at that – and the way Magneto's eyes flickered to her, he hadn't missed it – "When I asked you here I was rather hoping that you would agree to head up the school?"

That was not at all what he had been expecting; that was a thousand times better than anything he could have ever expected to hear, "I- _Yes_."

"Splendid." Magneto said relaxing back into his throne as the door on the left to him opened, "Emma will show you to your rooms."

"… I'm sorry?"

"The school isn't complete. You will be staying here until there are some suitable lodgings prepared for you." For a moment Charles just _stared_ , but then Emma was walking into the room, her high heels clicking methodically on the metal floors,

"This way." She said, and slowly, slowly the X-men, and children moved toward her; but for a moment Charles just stood and stared at Magneto curiously, until the man smiled and canted his head to the side slightly,

"If you would?" he suggested, and Charles gave a slight start and moved after them,

"Thank you." He murmured as he walked through the door, before it swung shut behind him he heard,

"The pleasure is mine." In a decidedly odd tone.


	2. Chapter one

Watching as the ships, and aircrafts came in, ferrying mutants to Genosha from all over the world, Erik couldn't help the swell of pride that was rolling through him; he was succeeding, he was giving all the mutants of the world someone where to call home, somewhere to be safe (somewhere they would never have to worry about needles and pins; bleeding and crying; repression, and abuse).

The community was going to expand wonderfully; the construction was already well under way, and Erik knew that as soon as everything had settled down, and the new inhabitants had settled into their provided homes he would go out among his people; he would ensure that they were wanting for nothing (this was going to be difficult, he knew; because there were young children, who had been torn from their homes and shipped out of their countries to live somewhere else, it was undoubtedly frightening for them). He would do everything he could to make them happy.

Because making them happy helped him pretend he was happy.

Things were going to get better soon, now; he knew they would (they had to; they couldn't get much worse, could they?). And soon he would no longer have to pretend.

But while he did have to pretend Erik knew he couldn't go out feeling so (despondent; self-conscious; tired; weak; unsure; desperate)… pathetic. Emma was like a panther, and she would pounce on any sign of weakness he displayed. But that was perfectly alright, because he liked it here in his office, alone (he didn't; he wanted someone here, someone to talk to – someone to love – someone to sit companionably with; Emma was a suitable companion, but she wanted things he wouldn't be able to give her), in the still quite.

Of course it did get boring combating oneself at a game of chess; dreadfully boring. So before he was even a quarter of the way through the game – he could already see the end played out – Erik rose from his seat and moved across the room – in his mind's eye he could see the kind on the board in the corner; a knight, a bishop, and the queen trapping him; _checkmate_ – to his desk; picking the helmet off he started toward the door and put it on as the doors opened at his silent behest. It would be about time for Emma to make her usual comment about how he should take a wife, and have an heir; that was ridiculous though, he hadn't been given (taken) the throne through royal lineage, and neither would the king _after_ him. He, too, would earn it.

Though he expected her to find him Erik rather hoped that she didn't.

As he moved through the citadel toward the library Erik was mindful of his surroundings, hoping not to have Emma catch him by surprise (she'd done that once before, and he had never quite lived down the shame of it). Pausing outside of the library Erik shot a look toward the sidehall; no sign of Emma yet, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't pop up soon… unless she was _entertaining_ their guests (in particular Logan; or rather, Wolverine). Pushing the doors open Erik moved into the library and stopped short when he saw someone standing at the shelves.

For a moment he considered leaving, but the man – Charles - turned around and caught sight of him; he looked mildly surprised, and Erik's eyes drifted over to the couch where Charles had clearly been sitting and reading, if the pile of books sitting on the cushions was anything to go by; a few were open, and face down stacked against other books, and Erik almost visibly winced at the abuse his books were being subjected to. "I… it isn't a problem that I'm in here, is it?" Charles asked, and Erik slowly brought his eyes back to Charles; who looked a little nervous, it took Erik a moment to realize he was still holding onto the door handles, and standing stiffly in the door way.

Moving forward slowly Erik closed the doors and nodded; realizing that he had just implied it _was_ a problem he shook his head slightly, ignoring how confused Charles looked Erik cleared his throat, "It is not a problem. I just… I was not expecting to find anyone in here." Feeling slightly uncomfortable Erik clasped his hands together behind his back, and regarded Charles in silence; tentatively Charles offered him a smile and slowly moved over to the couch again. Relieved Charles had moved away from the shelf (because it had the book he wanted to read) Erik moved across the room quickly to draw it off of the shelf, and considered just taking it back to his office with him.

"I wasn't even aware that you _used_ the library, Magneto." Erik frowned slightly and glanced back at Charles; why wouldn't he use it? It's _his_ library. "As a matter of fact, I was beginning to think the only time you actually left your office was for dinner, and your occasional speech." For a moment Erik just stood staring at Charles in silence; what was this about?

Slowly, almost hesitantly Erik moved over to sit in one of the nearby armchairs – he didn't miss the way Charles' gaze flickered to him – and crossed his legs, resting the book against his thigh, "Were you seeking an audience?" he supposed it would make sense for Charles to do so; it had been two weeks since he had been brought here, and Erik hadn't once brought up the school since the initial meeting.

For a moment Charles hesitated, and then half nodded, "I was interested in speaking with you, but Miss Frost said she hadn't any idea where you were." Erik arched a brow slightly at Charles and remained silent as the other man redirected his attention to the book laying open in his lap; when it became clear that Charles wasn't going to elaborate Erik cleared his throat,

"And what was it you were interested in speaking with me about?"

Flipping a page in the book Charles hummed softly, "Well… many things. Concerns about the school, and the academic programs that will be implemented." Confused Erik raised a hand and gestured for Charles to continue; and wondered if Charles had even really seen it when he remained silent, but just as Erik opened his mouth to speak Charles shifted in his seat, and raised his eyes to Erik, "It's just that… I don't agree with the attitude encouraged among the mutants here." Raising both eyebrows in surprise Erik simply stared, waiting, "There's nothing wrong with being _human_ , just like there's nothing wrong with being a _mutant_. Were your parents mutant?" remaining silent Erik furrowed his brows (he wasn't remaining silent out of respect for Charles' opinion (though this was interesting), but rather because Charles was starting an argument he wouldn't be able to win) "Neither were mine."

Refraining from sighing Erik leaned back into the chair and just stared at Charles blankly, clearly not going to say anything; Charles forced a thin smile and sat silently for a moment, "If your family was here, would you cast them out simply because they are not mutant?"

"If they were alive I would not be here." Charles looked a little taken aback, and Erik stood quickly, still tightly clutching the book and walked briskly toward the door, waving a hand to open the doors as he neared them; allowing them to slam behind him, leaving a perplexed Charles sitting on the couch staring at the doors.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been six days since he had, apparently, upset the king. Six days since they had seen him. Charles thought it was childish that he was avoiding coming out to meals, just so that he could avoid confrontation; really now, how was that anyway to handle the problem? It was perhaps even worse than the way Scott was simply refusing to agree (easily) to brush his teeth before bed, now; which was driving Alex up the wall, but each time he got upset over it Charles could see him going back in his mind, he could tell where Alex was going without peeking, and Alex always came back with a sigh, and shook his head, before setting out to tell Scott about proper hygiene and all of that lovely stuff.

But the king (and his childish behavior) wasn't what Charles was concerned with at this moment (though he _was_ concerned with it. It just wasn't at the top of his list right now.). What he was concerned with right now was that beautiful, beautiful mind he kept scanning over; it was perhaps one of the most beautiful (if not the most beautiful) minds Charles had ever felt.

But that was the problem; he felt it, but he never saw it. Ever since he had arrived here, that first day, he has been trying to seek it out but whenever he gets close he's blocked out; he isn't sure if the man he (he's positive it's a man) is trying to locate is one of the government officials, who have ways to block telepathy (which is aggravating) or a mutant with a marvelous ability.

But today he means to find out; one way or another. Because today he isn't going to waste time _looking_ for the man; today he is going to establish contact. As soon as he feels that (now familiar) beautiful mind. It's lunch time, which means soon he'll catch one of those lovely waves; and he'll reach out and say hello; and hopefully the other man will respond in kind.

And— _ah_. There it is; [ _Hello_ ] Charles projected quickly, perhaps a little too quickly, because… well, it was a little rude to start in on someone without knocking so to speak; and besides that there was complete silence now, which meant that he had likely scared the beautiful mind due to his rudeness, but no after a moment of silence there was a tentative soft,

[ _… Hello?_ ] clearly the other man (he was so relieved it was a man) was confused; and vaguely familiar.

[ _I'm terribly sorry about this, it's just that your mind is simply astonishing; and I was very much hoping I could speak with you_.] _speak_ was perhaps not the right word. When he was met with silence he realized that it was, in fact, the wrong choice, so he tentatively cast out, [ _Perhaps we could meet?_ ]

[… _I can't_.]

What a disappointment; but still, it wasn't defeat; it didn't mean they would never be able to meet (unless the man was some sort of prisoner, and then they wouldn't). [ _Well, we could still talk, just like this. I'm Charles, what's your name?_ ] generally there would be no prompt following his own name; but he got the distinct impression that the other man wouldn't have returned the favor unless prompted.

[ _Erik. Why do you want to talk to me?_ ]

[ _It's a pleasure to meet you, Erik._ ] if only he _was_ meeting him, this would be absolutely marvelous; but he supposed until he got to know the other man a bit (or found him), and gained his trust for a meeting (or an explanation of why there could be no meeting) then this would have to do. [ _I was attracted to your mind._ ] oh. That sounded lovely; let's not scare him off now, Xavier. [ _It's lovely, you know? It's so clean, and… It's just gorgeous_.]

For several moments there was silence, and Charles half expected to lose track of _Erik_ once again; but just as he was giving up hope, [ _I… thank you?_ ]

[ _You're very welcome, Erik._ ] Erik sounded flustered (and European; as a matter of fact, he had the same sort of accent as the king; could they be from the same area?) [ _Where do you go, during the day? Sometimes I can't locate you_.]

[ _Oh. I have… an inhibitor, it's safer._ ]

_Safer_? How _ridiculous_ ; safer from what exactly? [ _Is it? What have you to fear, Erik?_ ] that wasn't, exactly, the best question.

[ _You misunderstand, Charles. I fear nothing._ ] a bit odd, [ _It is merely the safety of Genosha I am concerned for._ ] so he _did_ work for the government; and that implied that he knew _something_ , which meant he was _something_ important; perhaps head of security?

[ _I see_.] of course he didn't; because there was no way that Erik could fear _nothing_ , [ _But… how is it that you can fear_ nothing _, Erik? Fear is a natural component of the human mind-]_

_[I haven't a human mind, though; I'm a_ mutant _]_

_[a natural response to something frightening; like, for instance, a telepath you don't know slipping into your mind. Does it not frighten you that I could so easily kill you?_ ]

[ _It doesn't frighten me in the least_.] It was startling that he was _honest_ in that; most times when someone said _I fear nothing_ there was almost always a lurking doubt, there in the surface of their mind that told an entirely different story. As a matter of fact there was something else _entirely_ there; something that made Charles' cheeks heat slightly; but before he got the chance to reply there was a sharp _cold_ icy feeling cutting between their connection, and he heard a soft, [ _It was a pleasure speaking, Charles_.] before the connection was abruptly cut off; the inhibitor.

Shouldn't that have been _a pleasure meeting you_ not _speaking_? How confusing. But it didn't matter because Charles had seen a sparked interest in _Erik'_ s mind. It was a lovely thing, Erik's mind; sharp angles (locked areas; Charles could have pushed his way in, but he wanted the adventure that would come with actually getting to know Erik, and actually getting to _see_ him) and smooth expanses; it would be frighteningly easy to lose himself to those easy lines (Erik probably had the least cluttered mind he had ever been in).

Shifting forward Charles rested his elbow on the table – missed Raven's surprised look – and rested his chin in his hand sighing softly. Maybe Senator Kelly wasn't the worst thing that had ever happened to his life, after all, it had gotten him here (uhg, even if the king was an intolerable, immature git), and getting here had let him sort of meet Erik.

_Erik_ who he had no idea what looked like.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been foolish, extremely foolish, dangerous and ridiculous that he had allowed Charles to enter his mind; Emma had been right to put a stop to it, even if he _had_ told her that she had absolutely no right to do any such thing as interrupt a perfectly pleasant conversation. Particularly not a _private_ conversation. Which he couldn't stop thinking about. At all. The entire night he had been thinking about the fact that Charles had noticed his mind; that Charles had tried to seek him out; that Charles had even contacted him.

But most of all, he was thinking about how Charles hadn't seemed to realize who he was talking to. That was… interesting.

Moving out to stand on the balcony Erik inhaled slowly and turned Emma's advice over in his mind a few times; Emma had some good points. But they paled in comparison to the feeling he was getting considering what it might be like to put Charles' telepathy to some _better_ use than it was being used for now. That only left the wonder; would Charles allow that? Would he be _interested_ in that? Erik certainly hoped so.

Pressing his palms into the railing Erik glanced out over the courtyard; speaking of, there was Charles. Sitting out in the garden (lovely, lovely; surrounded by lovely flowers; the scents of the flowers would cling to the other man for hours, Erik knew, because he had been standing in the hall a few days earlier, in a small alcove, reading over a proposal Emma and Janos had drafted; and Charles had moved past on his way to the library, and Erik had caught scent of the other man, the scent of roses nearly covering Charles' (oddly enticing) scent.) reading; Erik couldn't see _what_ he was reading from here, though he suspected it was probably a work of fiction, Charles was fond of them.

There was no reason to be looking at Charles; no reason to _want_ to look at Charles, but Erik found his eyes trained on the telepath, tracking his every movement, even the small trivial things like half smiling at a line in the book; the way he pressed his fingertip to the corner of the page, and bent it down, drew it back, and then turned the page. An odd little quirk that Erik found hopelessly adorable; he wondered what other sort of quirks Charles would have with his hands.

Eccentricities.

That was the word he was looking for; Charles Xavier had many eccentricities. It was a shame that Charles Xavier was so insistent on keeping himself closed off from Erik (Magneto; he was apparently more than willing to reach for _Erik_ , when he didn't realize that in reaching for Erik he was inadvertently drawing Magneto in), because he would have enjoyed making a list of those interesting eccentricities. What made Charles Xavier (fall apart) tick? That was an interesting subject to research, and Erik knew full well that he would be able to research it thoroughly.

As if on cue Charles shifted slightly, and shifted his gaze; straight up to Erik. There was something like surprise in his features, and Erik just stared at him, and half smiled, Charles didn't seem entirely sure what to do; Erik took the decision out of his hands and turned away, moving back into the room, raising a hand to beckon the doors shut as he did so. They closed audibly and Erik moved to sit at his desk.

But he couldn't sit still, not right now. He wanted to move (he wanted to move against those lovely silk sheets; he wanted to feel a sheen of sweat break out across his body; he wanted to hear his breath, and another's breath hitching in pleasurable little gasps, and moans; he wanted to taste that delectable mouth, he wanted to watch that English composure break under the pressure of his hands, his hips; his lust. He wanted much more than he was going to get).

He wanted to go outside.

Moving toward the door of his office Erik gave a moment to considering if this may, in fact, be a bad idea; his plans, which involved talking to people, generally didn't go how he planned they would (but considering he wasn't planning on going out and actually finding someone (Charles) willing to come climb into bed with him (it wouldn't be difficult, he knows it wouldn't be; as King he's fairly certain he could have his choice of any of the citizens, and willingly have them offer themselves up to him (maybe not Charles) if he mentioned it) he didn't really have to waste much concern on that.), but this would work out fine. He was sure of it; after all, what could go wrong?

As he made his way down the hall Erik found himself unconsciously straightening his shirt, and his belt, before he draped his cape over his arm and took to the stairs, all the while telling himself that nothing could go wrong, and he was just going for a walk; and he was probably not going into the garden, anyway. There was no reason to be out in the garden today. There was no reason to be outside for a walk, either, but he was still doing that; and when he stepped out into the bright sun, and found himself moving almost automatically toward the garden path. What was the harm in saying hello?

Or not say hello; he didn't have to say anything. He could just go by and see if Charles was still there, or maybe stand at a distance and watch him read (Charles was probably one of the only people Erik had ever seen that could forget about the rest of the world while he read. Which was both interesting, and adorable in a way that made Erik want to bother him, so that he could redirect that intensity—he really needed to reign himself in; out here thinking about how _adorable_ people were when they read; pathetic), and try to convince himself that there was absolutely nothing creepy at all about that.

Pausing on the path as he came up behind the fountain Erik frowned (he didn't doubt himself, or what he was about to do, but he wasn't exactly sure how Charles was going to react to him; the last time they had spoken in person it hadn't gone over very well, and yesterday Charles hadn't even seemed aware of who he was while they were talking) and adjusted his cape over his arm, slowly moving forward following the curving cobblestone path around the fountain until Charles came into view. Stopping short Erik stood and watched Charles for a few moments; he wasn't concentrating anymore. His eyes were flickering between the pages of the book and the books of Erik's balcony. Interesting.

Just as he was about to actually say something Charles closed the book, seeming a bit reluctant, and stood up, sending one last lingering look toward the balcony, before moving to walk away; for a moment Erik thought that he was going to say something, move forward and stop Charles, talk to him, but he felt rooted to the ground, and watched Charles disappear around the curve of the fountain; he knew if he looked to the side he would see the other man, that he would be able to trace the outline of his profile with his eyes, and burn it into his memory.

He told himself it was for the best when he didn't look.


	5. Chapter 5

Since the day (it had only been two days ago) that he had talked to Erik Charles hadn't been able to locate him again, which was awfully strange. But the king had started to appear around the area more, and more, though he had yet to say anything to Charles; despite the fact that each and every time Charles noticed Magneto he caught the other man _staring_ at him, which was… a little creepy. But there was something in the way that he kept watching Charles (the way that Charles kept watching him back), or rather, something in the _way_ he watched Charles that made it seem almost normal.

But, again, he was digressing; Magneto shouldn't be his train of thought right now. He wanted to think about Erik. He wanted to know where Erik was; who Erik was; why he was hiding behind an inhibitor. Though Charles wanted to find Erik he had no idea where to start. All he knew about Erik was that his name was Erik, and he had a beautiful mind; oh, and of course, he was European. And he may or may not be a part of the security team on Genosha. The security team Charles had yet to see a single member of.

After speaking with Erik Charles had gone around looking for someone to ask about the mysterious Erik; but there hadn't been a single guard in sight. Which was unusual. Wasn't Magneto afraid of someone trying to attack him? Or was he truly so arrogant that he believed no one would dare touch the king?

Perhaps it would be best to ask someone here about that; someone like Emma.

Though he had no idea what the king's mutation was he knew that it couldn't be anything strong enough to prevent any, and all possible future attacks; so where was his security? As far as Charles knew the only thing the king could do was fly; in case of an attack what was he going to do? Hover above people? How stupid.

Yes, he was going to look into this all in the morning. Right now though he was perfectly content to go sit in the library (what a lovely, extensive library they had here!) and read until he felt he would be able to sleep. Which was starting to be later, and later each night; there were people here, with children from all over the world. Children who cried, and begged, and prayed each and every night to just go home; to stop being afraid. There were children thanking God each night that they had been brought here because they were away from whatever abuse they had been suffering at home, now.

The calm, soft peace that had been settled over the city when they had just arrived was gone. There was a constant, frantic buzz of energy now, and not all of it was good (there was a woman, her husband wasn't a mutant, but she and their son were. He had been understanding when she had told him, he had willingly come with her to Genosha. But he didn't want to stay here anymore; he hadn't been aware of the _freaks_. His wife's mutation was not physical. His sons mutation was beginning to develop as a physical mutation. He didn't want to be a part of a family of freaks anymore.).

Why were the library doors _always_ closed? Charles specifically remembered leaving them open an hour ago when he had left for some tea (and why couldn't he have tea in the library, or his room? It wasn't like he was a child who would spill it). Maybe it had something to do with that cleaning staff who seemed as hidden, and secretive as the Security team that absolutely had to exist.

As he opened one of the doors (it was tiresome and awkward to open both of them) Charles glanced toward the shelves, as he was wont to do as he moved into a library, and started slightly when he saw Magneto standing there. For a moment he wasn't sure if he wanted to move into the room or not, but Magneto took the choice out of his hands, "Please do not stand there with the door open." It should have sounded like a request but it sounded like a command. Slowly Charles moved into the room, and closed the door behind him, casting a glance toward the couch to ensure the books he had been reading were still there; they were.

"I didn't know anyone else would be up this late." Charles ventured, feeling a little unsure of what to say, and trying to will his heart to calm down, Magneto hummed slightly, and Charles frowned, he supposed Magneto was going to be childish and refuse to speak to him, again. Unfortunately for Magneto Charles is a tad immature himself, on occasion, and he wants to talk to the other man (if only to annoy him), "Magneto" Charles starts slowly, and Magneto half glances back at him, but aborts to motion, "I've noticed something odd."

For a moment Magneto doesn't respond, simply looks down at the book in his hand, but he's curious, "What is it you have noticed?" he wasn't even sure why he was asking, or why he cared; it was likely nothing.

"There don't seem to be… any guards." Charles said as he moved to sit on the couch, glad that Magneto hadn't dismissed what he'd said, "Where is the security?"

For a moment Magneto had the uncontrollable urge to laugh; security? What use would _he_ have for _security_? "I am the security." Magneto said chuckling as he turned around to face Charles, and closed the book he was holding (there was something on the spine of the book; part of the name had a line through it, and was corrected above in in e.e rather than E.E), and clasped it with both hands.

"Excuse me?" Charles asked, incredulous; what sort of claim was that? " _You're_ the security?" Magneto nodded. Worse than that he looked completely sure of himself. "Tell me something, your highness" Charles let sarcasm weigh the words down on his tongue, "do the people of your country know that they are completely without a defense?" there was something to be said that Magneto was so delusional that he thought his country could get by defenselessly (it only just occurred to him, causing him to blanch under the realization, that the governments worldwide had sent all mutants to an island that was without defense. They were going to die). It was odd that Magneto remained silent (Erik knew that if he wasn't wearing his helmet Charles would see he was a little confused; did Charles not understand his mutation? He would have thought that of any of the new arrivals it would be Charles who knew about it; knew about him).

Unable to stand the silence that was ringing back in his mind as he tried, and tried, and tried to feel Magneto's mind Charles started speaking again, his entire body numb, now, "Do you realize the implications of what that means?"

"What would you have me do?" Magneto snapped suddenly, "Force them" he raised a hand and gestured vaguely (Charles couldn't be positive, but he thought he felt the citadel tremble; how worrisome) "into an army?" He had an army enough; Azazel, Emma, Janos, himself (and in all honesty, Charles' own sister had shown a great interest in what he did; what he was trying to do. He had been meaning to talk to her; he had been meaning to tell her that hiding was getting her nowhere). He didn't need anyone else, he would defend the mutants here until death. "Do not presume to understand the situation, Charles." Charles half flinched at the use of his name, and Magneto knew that was because of the snap to his tone, "Clearly you haven't an idea of how things work here. If you did you would realize that we are not defenseless."

Narrowing his eyes Charles furrowed his brow (he was glaring at the king. He was actually glaring at the king. This couldn't be good) and shifted forward slightly, "How are we not defenseless? What is it that you can do to protect us from the imminent attack?" it was so _odd_ that he felt like he knew that there would be an attack. It was so unlike him to suspect the worst in people without any reason; but considering the fact that they had basically rounded them up, and put them in a convenient location (and Magneto had helped them, for all of the good he had been trying to do, he had corralled them). They were right in place for an attack.

Moving slowly (Charles suddenly thought of a panther, though he had no idea why) Magneto came over to take a seat in the armchair adjacent to the couch, and adjusted himself carefully, and crossed his legs; clearly he was planning on either staying in here to read, or explaining this to Charles (Charles hoped he explained it), and rested the book against his thigh, "Have you any idea the depth of my mutation, Charles?" for a minute Charles considered the odds that he may scream, and then he shook his head, "I am the Master of Magnetism." Charles looked at him blankly, clearly considering wondering if this was a joke, "I control" Magneto raised a hand and gestured toward the nearest object, which happened to be an armchair, and lifted it from the floor; though there couldn't have been much metal at all in it, "magnetism... including the natural magnetic field around the earth." Charles' eyes widened slightly, but barely enough to notice, "There is nothing the humans could use to attack us that I would not be able to defend us against."

Nodding dumbly Charles kept his eyes fixed on the chair, fascinated as Magneto lowered it to the floor, "I see." Charles said softly, and Magneto made a soft noise and rose from his seat moving back to the stacks to slide the book back into place. To Charles' surprise he turned and moved toward the door, "Magneto?" the other man paused at the door and turned his head slightly, but didn't turn toward Charles, "Who is Erik? I mean… do you know?"

"… he isn't around, anymore." Before Charles could ask _what_ Magneto was out the door, and the click of his boots against the metal floor echoed back to Charles for a few seconds before the door swung shut. Sitting there stunned, and confused for a few moments, Charles stared at the door; what? He could think of nothing better for this situation than _what_ , because this was all absolutely ridiculous.

Standing up after a moment Charles moved over to the shelf to pull out the book Magneto had put back; poetry? Opening it slowly, feeling oddly as if he were encroaching on something private of the kings; the first page also had the correction to e.e from E.E, raising his hand Charles ran his fingertips over the indents in the page and frowned; there was nothing graceful and glorious about Magneto's handwriting. It wasn't something you would expect a king to use, it was sharp lines and angles; almost the way an uneducated child would write. The sudden urge to show Magneto the _proper_ way to write an 'e' was almost unbearable, but he knew that trying to tell the king that he was writing like a child would be offensive. Closing the book and placing it back on the shelf Charles turned away and slowly moved over to sit on the couch. This whole situation was beginning to wear thin; he didn't like this anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all the hate for this chapter. especially the end ._.


	6. Chapter 6

"You wanted to see me, Magneto?" Emma was standing behind him, which always made him feel mildly uncomfortable, but not to the point that he was willing to turn to her. If he turned toward her now he would lose sight of Charles where he was sitting in the garden with the children he had brought with him; it looked like he was reading to them, and the small redheaded girl (was Jean her name? He wasn't sure) was curled up against his side, staring down into the book in his hand.

"We need to celebrate." Erik said softly, and didn't notice the incredulous way Emma was staring at him, "For their sake. They need to see that this is something to be thankful for, this is no punishment."

"Celebrate?" Emma's tone was icy as she moved toward him; she didn't come close enough to be intrusive, but Erik knew that she was following his gaze, "What do you suggest we do, Magneto?" there was something here she was missing, and she couldn't afford to miss something now. They were too close, and she couldn't let Magneto slip away before she even really had him, "Postpone constructions, so that the new… mutants can have a party?" how unethical.

It had become obvious to her within days that Magneto was becoming… _distracted_ by Charles Xavier; it made sense, she thought, Charles Xavier had represented mutants all across the world for _years_ , and Magneto had been following his progress for quite some time now, so it was only logical that when he finally got Charles around he would want to get to know him, as well as _get to know him_. But still, it was a hindrance to their plans. _Charles_ was a hindrance to their plans.

Which could only mean that _Charles_ needed to be taken out of Magneto's sights; she couldn't kill him (she had long since lost that option; she had forfeited that right when she had come to Genosha on a promise, and hope that it would work; so far she had been lucky), because Magneto would notice that, and he wouldn't stand for it. But she couldn't stand for this (it wouldn't be allowed, and she wasn't going to suffer because _Charles_ was a distraction.), and she knew that she had to get this back on track, otherwise the imminent war that was on the way would be a _lot_ worse than it should be.

And all because Magneto was distracted.

"You could say that." it was clear that she wasn't going to get an explanation. She didn't need one; he was sitting out there in the garden, on a stone bench, surrounded by children. Magneto didn't need a response, he knew that she was going to do as he said, she turned and walked out of the office; the door closed behind her.

If Magneto was going to let this distraction get in the way, then she was just going to have to think of a way to get around it.

If Magneto was going to be so insistent on having a celebration (the way he had worded it she had gotten the impression that this wasn't going to be a simple thing like a speech. Magneto was probably going to go all out on this) then they would do it, but she wasn't going to let this get in the way of their plans. He was being pretty stupid for a genius; maybe that was misinformed on their part (or high hopes), but either way she wasn't going to enjoy dealing with this mess. Not in the least. But she didn't have a choice.

[ _Janos, where are you?_ ] 

[ _The pier. His boat is pulling in now._ ] 

[ _Bring him to the bar, I have to talk to him immediately._ ] 

[ _Of course, Miss Frost_.]

There was no way she was going to be a disappointment. There had been too many of those, lately.

Very rarely was Emma out in the city; she lived here, yes, but she didn't spend much of her time here out of the citadel. In all honesty she hated this city. And she hated everything that Magneto was doing with this place, putting it to waste, and letting the humans push them around; she had been told he was a fighter, but so far his Jewish heritage had shown through and all he ever wanted to do was _talk_ things out. She was about ready to quit this whole thing; she couldn't, she knew though, because she had too much riding on this. On the shoulders of the king who promised to lift Mutantkind from the dredges of humanity, and up above where they truly belonged.

It didn't matter what sort of doubts she was having right now though, she knew, because she wasn't the key here. She was only a little piece in the bigger picture, and she was willing to sacrifice everything for this cause. As long as it was going to work, and lately it felt like it _wasn't_ going to work, and she couldn't do this if it was pointless. And that was precisely what she was going to find out now.

Lucky for her, answers weren't as difficult to come by as one might suspect.

Pushing the door to the pub open Emma stepped in and ignored all of the glances; she must have been a sight here, in her thigh high white boots, corset, shorts, and flowing cape. Most of the people here dressed "sensibly" but she had been, and always would be _The White Queen_. It didn't matter if now she had been demoted to a lieutenant, because that wasn't permanent. She would be _The White Queen_ again soon enough. Which was exactly why she was here.

Approaching the bar Emma flashed a cold smile to the bar tender, "White wine, if you please." She said softly, and he smiled awkwardly, looking mildly flustered as he moved to get a bottle for her. Turning to the man seated on the stool beside her Emma continued to smile, "Hello Sebastian. You have been gone for quite a while." He grinned at her as he raised his glass of scotch to his lips,

"And for good reason, gorgeous." His grin grew, and she took the seat next to him primly crossing her legs, "It's about time we set out plans in motion, don't you think?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> =O


	7. Chapter 7

Celebrations were always nice. Especially celebrations like this. Festivals they were nice, and it had been quite some time since there had been a festival here; the last time had been the anniversary of his first year here, and _that_ had been really nice. It seemed like it had been… forever ago though (he knew, logically, that it had only been around eight years ago, but it felt like a lifetime). But today wasn't about _him_ , it was about them, and everything that they had accomplished; and everything that they could, and would make of life here on Genosha. They just had to realize that. And he was more than willing to show them that there was more to life than that which they had left behind.

It was nice to see the children out. They, at least, seemed to be adjusting well. That was what he had been mostly worried about, children were resilient things, but they were delicate, too: it didn't take much to break them (he remembered a time when he had been young, and fragile and so easily broken down; it had gotten to the point that he almost hadn't been able to build himself back up. And only had because he had something to live for; revenge.). He didn't want to be a part of the reason they were broken, he couldn't live with himself knowing that he was.

And speaking of children, he was going to go see if he could spot some, and see if they were enjoying themselves. The adults certainly seemed to be (which was equally important. Because if they didn't like it here it would make the entire place miserable, or their children, anyway; which he wasn't going to tolerate). Besides needing to see how everyone was doing, Erik could not stand to sit still, so getting up and walking around felt like a rather good idea (later on, when he looks back on today he'll admit that maybe he should have just stayed there). Pushing himself up out of his throne (that had been tacky, and Emma's idea) Erik descended the stairs and glanced back at Janos as he moved down; oddly Janos wasn't paying attention to him, and when Erik glanced around he noted that Azazel was absent too. That wasn't odd, per se, but it wasn't something that Erik had been expecting.

Pushing the thoughts aside Erik began moving through the crowded street, it was always easy to spot children, they weren't very… aware, yet, so they didn't keep their voices down, and they didn't bother with manners (most of them) so you could often hear people in crowds grumbling because _those children shouldn't be running wild that way_. The children _seemed_ to be having a good time, which was what he had wanted, so it seemed that everything was going according to plan. Except… that boy was sitting alone over there. And he looked absolutely miserable. Glancing around Erik noted that no one really seemed to be paying any attention to the boy, frowning he moved over to him.

"Hello." Erik said smiling softly at him, surprised when the boy looked… scared as he looked up at him; that was odd, most of the time when the kids saw him they were excited. Maybe this boy was just shy, "May I sit here?" Erik asked after a moment of silence and gestured beside the boy, who only looked more nervous than before at that,

"I can move." The boy finally offered (he had an odd nasally voice, a little deep for a boy so young) and Erik arched a brow shaking his head slightly, "… you want to sit with _me_?" he seemed so confused, incredulous that Erik scowled slightly as he nodded, finally the boy gave a jerky nod, looking slightly suspicious.

Taking a seat next to him (despite the fact that the boy was sitting on the ground and Erik did not like dirt. At all) Erik shifted to lean into the stone wall of the building behind them and looked down at the boy, who had averted his eyes, "What is your name?" Erik asked softly,

"Mortimer." The boy mumbled in response, and Erik nodded as he reached out to stroke Mortimer's back soothingly,

"Do you know my name?" Erik asked and the boy gave a jerky nod, glancing sidelong at Erik and shifting uncomfortably; was he really so frightening? What had he done to make people _fear_ him? Had he not been a fair leader (kind, and generous)?

"Magneto." The boy answered, and Erik raised his hand from the boy's back to smooth his hair back, and gave a slight nod, that was… sort of correct.

"Would you like to know a special secret, Mortimer?" Erik asked, offering a slight smile, and Mortimer glanced up toward him slightly, and looked contemplative for several moments before giving a nod, "My name isn't actually Magneto" it was almost comical the way the boy's eyes widened, "that's just my title. Like you I have a name. My name was Erik before I was Magneto." There was something about the way that Mortimer's eyes lit up that made Erik's chest tighten painfully, it was almost as if Erik were the first adult to actually talk to him (which was ridiculous, didn't he have _parents_? Didn't all parents talk to their children; or had that only been his?).

"It's nice to meet you, Erik." Mortimer murmured and Erik gave a slight nod,

"Where are your parents?" Erik added softly and the boy looked oddly uncomfortable as he glanced around the area, and then returned his attention to Erik once again,

"I dunno. Daddy was talking to some man, and then he told Mommy that he was going to go home. But I thought this was our home now." Mortimer gave a slight shrug as he picked at a loose thread on the cuff of his shirt sleeve; that was odd. Why would anyone suddenly just want to go... home?

"What man?" Erik asked softly, furrowing his brow thoughtfully, and Mortimer looked up at him confused and then pointed out into the crowds,

"He was over there with my Mommy and Daddy, and a woman in white clothes." _Emma_? Nodding Erik climbed to his feet and dusted himself off,

"I'll go talk to him." Erik said and to his surprise Mortimer stood up, too,

"Can I come? It's boring here." Erik smiled and gave a slight nod as he offered his hand and as soon as Mortimer took it he let the boy lead him through the crowds,

"Hello Magneto!" pausing he turned slightly to see Jean rushing up to them from Logan's side, "What are you doing?" she immediately turned her attention to Mortimer, "I'm Jean! I'm staying with the king until the school is finished. Are you going to be coming to school to stay with us?"

"Uh… h-hi." Mortimer looked a little uncomfortable which made Erik chuckle, "I'm Mortimer." He mumbled and Jean grinned at him, but before he got the chance to really say anything else Emma was strolling toward them, the crowds parting for her almost as if at her behest (which was highly likely), and she was smirking oddly at them as she tossed her head slightly as she came to a stop in front of them,

"Magneto," she said smiling thinly as she dropped her gaze to the children, and waved them away, "The adults have to talk, kids, why you don't run along?" Erik arched a brow and glanced down at the kids who were looking at him inquiringly, and shook his head, he didn't want them to leave, because as far as he was concerned business could wait.

"What is it, Emma?" Erik asked feeling rather unimpressed at the moment, "I was assisting this boy in locating his parents." He added and she blinked slowly and dropped her gaze to Mortimer, and then raised it back to Erik, "What is it you need, Emma?"

"It isn't what she _needs_ " Erik felt a chill run down his spine as a man moved out of the crowd to the left and smirked at him, "it's what she wants to tell you. She didn't want this to happen with a crown."

"Shaw." Erik breathed out taking an involuntary step backward,

"Hello, Erik." Sebastian said pleasantly.


End file.
